In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Professor Dawisson Belém Lopes on Brazil’s foreign policy outlook, including its relations within the Latin American region and its relations with the US. The episode starts with Prof Lopes giving a detailed overview of Brazil’s foreign policy outlook under the current Presidency of Mr Lula da Silva. To better understand Lula’s current foreign policy attitude, Lopes takes a historical approach, looking also into Lula’s past two terms as President (2003-2011). From there, Prof Lopes discusses in great detail Brazil’s relations with its Latin American neighbors, emphasizing the changes that Brazil’s regional posture has been undergoing over the years and underlying the specific changes that have taken place from Bolsonaro’s presidency to Lula’s presidency. Finally, the episode concludes with an interesting discussion on Brazil-US relations, from both a historical and contemporary perspective. To conclude, Prof Lopes shares in considerations on what a renewed Trump president may mean for relations between the two main powers of the Americas.
Dawisson Belem Lopes is a Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais and a Research Fellow of the National Council for Technological and Scientific Development in Brazil. From 2018 to 2022, he served as Deputy Dean for International Affairs at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Having authored/edited ten books and dozens of peer-reviewed articles on topics related to Latin American politics, Brazilian foreign policy, and international institutions, Professor Lopes previously was a visiting researcher at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies in Hamburg, (Germany, 2013), visiting professor at the Catholic University of Leuven in Mons (Belgium, 2016), Raisina Young Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi (India, 2017) and SUSI Scholar on Foreign Policy at the University of Delaware (USA, 2021). He has given lectures at the invitation of 7 national governments and the UN, and delivered presentations or published his articles in 30 different countries.
